MIRACLE BOY GROWS UP
How the Disability Rights Revolution Saved My Sanity
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A new memoir by Ben MattlinNo one thought Ben Mattlin would live past childhood. But that didn’t stop him.
Ben Mattlin lives a normal, independent life. Why is that interesting? Because Mattlin was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a congenital weakness from which he was expected to die in childhood. Not only did Mattlin live through childhood, he became one of the first students in a wheelchair to attend Harvard, from which he graduated and became a professional writer. His advantage? Mattlin’s life happened to parallel the growth of the disability rights movement, so that in many ways he did not feel that he was disadvantaged at all, merely different. Miracle Boy Grows Up is a witty, unsentimental memoir that you won’t forget, told with engrossing intelligence and a unique perspective on living with a disability in the United States. Hardcover: 228 pages
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (August 1, 2012) Language: English The raves are already coming in:"In Miracle Boy, Ben Mattlin pulls off a nearly miraculous feat: creating an insightful, poignant, light-hearted and often hilarious memoir about life as a paraplegic. Mattlin's resilience, his curiosity, and his steadfast refusal to see himself as a victim are inspiring; his prose is deft, wry and self-aware. Like many of the best memoirs, this one brings you inside a beautiful mind."
– Jay McInerney “In Miracle Boy Grows Up, Ben Mattlin spins the limitations of his genetic disease into literary gold. He tells his story with grace and candor, each beautifully crafted sentence illuminating not only his rich inner life but also the complex history of the disability-rights movement.” – Hamilton Cain, author of This Boy’s Faith "Ben Mattlin could be called many things: iconoclastic, sidesplitting, and wise, among them. In Miracle Boy Grows Up, Mattlin demonstrates perhaps his greatest skill—as a master storyteller. Integrating his own story with humor, insight, and considerable aplomb into the larger cultural and political tapestry of the disability-rights movement is no small feat. Doing so in ways that never fail to both enlighten and entertain displays an attention to craft that righfully sets his book apart." – Lawrence Carter-Long, National Council on Disability Available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble |
